Aldis Hodge Stars As Wrongly Accused Football Star In ‘Brian Banks’

Bleecker Street has released the first trailer for its upcoming movie, Brian Banks, based on the true story of footballer Brian Banks, who was accused and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, according to a report from Sports Illustrated.

Banks was a star middle linebacker and student at Poly High in Long Beach, California. The teen’s life was turned upside down after his former classmate, Wanetta Gibson, accused him of raping her in 2002. Banks was arrested and charged. He spent five years and two months in prison, then another five years on monitored parole before Gibson admitted she had falsely accused Banks and the alleged rape never actually happened.

In 2013, Banks signed with the Atlanta Falcons and played in four preseason games before being released. In that same year, Gibson was ordered to pay $2.6 million by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. The money was split into two parts, Gibson was ordered to pay $1.5 million, plus an additional $1.1 million in fees, which included making a false claim and court-related costs, according to NBC Los Angeles.

After being released from the Atlanta Falcons, Banks went on to join the National Football League Department of Operations.

The movie about Banks’ life began filming in 2017, and later premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF) in 2018. It documents Banks’ road to freedom and the obstacles faced in clearing his name. It stars Aldis Hodge as Brian Banks, as well as Greg Kinnear as Justin Brooks, Melanie Liburd as Karina, Tiffany Dupont as Alissa Bjerkhoel, Sherri Shepherd as Leomia, Matt Battaglia as Pete Carroll, Xosha Roquemore as Kennisha Rice, and Dean Denton as Coach Jaso.

Bleecker Street shared its description of the film, saying the following.

“The inspirational true story of Brian Banks, an All-American high school football star committed to USC who finds his life upended when he is wrongly convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Despite lack of evidence, Banks is railroaded through a broken justice system and sentenced to a decade of prison and probation. Years later, with the support of Justin Brooks and the California Innocence Project, Banks fights to reclaim his life and fulfill his dreams of playing in the NFL.”

Hodge took to Instagram to share a promotional image of the movie. The black and white photo shows two hands holding a football while handcuffed. The actor used the caption to announce the movie’s release date.